#bastion system

Building on Bastions:

 Homebrew Adventure Hooks for Your Bastion

Here, we’ll look at some homebrewed hooks that can act as inspiration for building adventures around your players’ Bastion.

Give Their Bastion Some Class

Getting on the Property Ladder

A Series of Adventurous Events

Sidequests for Sidekicks

Home Is Where the Plot Is

Give Their Bastion Some Class

A Bastion can be any structure or locale that the players could use as a base of operations. If you're looking to seed potential Bastions that your players' characters could acquire, here are some suggestions for each class. Keep in mind that the Bastion should still contain the appropriate number of facilities and special facilities for the character's level. There are also ideas in the examples below for how the Bastion can be expanded as the character levels up! Class | Description Artificer | The abandoned laboratory of an ancient dwarven crafter, stocked with alchemical and artificing devices. The structure extends deep into the earth but the various chambers and cells must be unearthed from centuries of cave-ins and tunnel collapses. Barbarian | A sacred gathering place carved into the sides of a mesa where the powers of nature and the ancestors flow through a mystical nexus. The chambers of this sandstone temple seem to grow and expand in response to the needs of those who are attuned to its power. Bard | A once-abandoned theater and cafe, this shell of a building has the potential to be a bustling and vibrant hub of arts and high society mingling, as well as the trading of secrets and whispers. Cleric | Once a temple to an ancient god, this divine structure has fallen into disrepair. Many secrets lie at the heart of its ruins, ready to be unlocked by someone with this devotion to reconsecrate the locale to their deity. Druid | This grove lies at the heart of an ancient and powerful forest, ringed by a treetop village. Leylines of natural magic converge, and those who can hear the whispers in the wind and water come from miles around to commune with the keepers of this sacred place. Fighter | A towering bulwark against attackers, this stone keep towers over the surrounding land. With enough hard work and influence, an army may be able to be raised from the surrounding villages. Monk | Atop a mountain crowned with clouds lies a long-abandoned dojo. Centuries ago, warriors traveled hundreds of miles and faced the perilous climb to spar and learn under the various martial arts masters who called this temple of physical and spiritual enlightenment home. Paladin | Sprawling deep underground, this dark dungeon was once the headquarters of a mystic order of valiant knights who stood strong against an ancient enemy. Work can begin on restoring this network of tunnels and chambers to its former glory. Ranger | Found within a clearing at the heart of a valley, a small village of abandoned lodges waits for its rightful owners to return and defend the thin divide between nature and civilization. Rogue | In the roughest part of town there’s a street, and on this street there’s a tavern, and in that tavern there’s a basement, and in that basement a door. Behind that door lies secrets and illicit deals and games of chance all waiting to pass through the fingers of those foolish, or brave enough, to enter the thieves' den. Sorcerer | Where the sea meets the sky and the earth burns into fire, the powers of the planes converge at the heart orrery carved high into the side of a volcano that overlooks the ocean. Built by ancient sages to access the cornucopia of powers that flow through the world, it was abandoned long ago but still thrums with lingering power, waiting to be awoken once again. Warlock | No one remembers what entity–divine, profane, or simply eldritch–this crumbling fane was dedicated to. But the walls between worlds are thin here, and power flows freely, ready to be harnessed by those willing to rebuild the ancient stones of this forsaken place. Wizard | No tower should be able to rise so high and remain standing, but stand this tower does. Each flagstone is carved with ancient glyphs and runes, and magic doesn’t just flow through them, it bends and twists and knots as if pinned in place. The tower's interior seemingly expands past its exterior, the space inside warped by whatever arcane architect raised its stones to the heavens, secrets waiting to be discovered by whoever takes this place as their own.

Getting on the Property Ladder

The Bastion system makes Bastions available to your players at or after Level 5, but how do you go about giving them a Bastion in a way that is satisfying and exciting? Here are some homebrewed ideas to provide inspiration for situations in which your party has agreed to share a connected Bastion.

Tiers of Play

As described in chapter 4 of the 2024 Dungeon Master’s Guide, tiers of play are four-level ranges that describe the broad scope of adventure situations based on the capabilities of players within that range.While more information can be found in the Adventure Situations by Level section in chapter 4, here is a brief summary of the four tiers of play: Levels 1-4: Local Heroes.Adventuring to save local towns and villages, fighting cultists, beasts, and bandits. Levels 5-10: Heroes of the Realm.The fate of an entire region rests in the character's hands as they encounter giants, golems, and demons. Levels 11-16: Masters of the Realm.The nation, or even the world, depends on the players as they face off against purple worms, beholders, and even adult dragons. Levels 17-20: Masters of the World.Millions of lives depend on the heroes as they cross the world and even the planes fighting balors, titans, ancient dragons, and arch-devils.

Bastions as a Reward - Earning a Bastion

Hook | Tier | Description No Good Deed Goes Unnoticed | Tier 1-2 | The party is tasked by a lord to deal with a bandit threat. This quest takes them from their current level to level 5, and involves exploring a small region of the lord's land. On returning to the lord to announce the bandits–and whatever conspiracy may lay behind them–have been dealt with, the lord proclaims that the party are now protectors of that region and get a Bastion to rule from. Castles in the Clouds | Tier 2-3 | A cloud giant approaches the party, seeking their assistance in rooting out an evil force that is corrupting the Ordning. In exchange for rooting out this malignance, the cloud giant will reward the adventurers with one of her floating citadels. Hell is Other People | Tier 4 | A devil seeks out the help of the party in preventing a demonic incursion into Avernus that may turn the tide of the Blood War in favor of the Abyssal forces. To sweeten the deal, the devil offers the heroes a stronghold to operate out of. The only problem? The stronghold is located in Avernus, on the banks of the River Styx.

Finder’s, Keepers - Capturing a Bastion

Hook | Tier | Description King of the Castle | Tier 1-2 | A twist on No Good Deed Goes Unnoticed, the bandit queen who is coordinating the reign of terror across the lands operates from an ancient keep deep within a corrupted forest. Once the party defeats the bandit queen and her forces, the malaise lifts from the forest and the keep is left for the party to claim. Lich and Key | Tier 2-3 | A dread necromancer seeking the secrets of lichdom from his Dreadspire has brought ruin to the realm. Once the servant of Orcus is defeated, the Undead forces occupying his tower crumble to dust, leaving a monolith of secret, arcane knowledge to be claimed by the party. Landlady of Pain | Tier 4 | After spending some time in Sigil, the City of Doors, the party discovers a conspiracy brewing within one of the factions to steal some of the Lady of Pain's mysterious power. Doomed to failure, this plan nonetheless poses a great risk to the residents of The Cage. Once this conspiracy is overthrown, the faction's secret lair within Sigil is left for the taking, providing a multiversal base of operations.

Planning Permission - Building a Bastion

Hook | Tier | Description Ruins of Ages Past | Tier 1-2 | The party is sent to find the source of Undead spilling out from a mist-covered swamp. At the heart of the swamp is a series of ruins haunted by the spirits of the damned and cursed. By freeing the spirits from their torment, the party discovers the ruins were once a grand keep and could be restored to glory with the gold found in its perilous dungeons. Dragon's Den | Tier 2-3 | After defeating a powerful red dragon, the geothermal caverns and caves that it claimed as its lair lay vacant. With the help of the local kobolds–now free of the dragon's tyranny–the party is able to construct a volcanic stronghold of their own. Any Port in a Storm | Tier 3-4 | While traversing the Astral Sea in their Spelljammer vessel, the heroes come across an abandoned astral dominion. The god that ruled this domain is long gone, but the dominion itself persists and possesses an unusual number of color pools in its vicinity, providing exceptionally convenient planar access.

A Series of Adventurous Events

Whenever a character in command of a Bastion issues the Maintain Order, there is the possibility of a Bastion event occurring. These events can be positive or negative and are usually handled by the hirelings present in the Bastion, rather than the player's characters. While there aren't normally any lasting outcomes from Bastion events other than potentially losing a Bastion Defender or access to a Special Facility for a short period of time, you can mix it up to up the stakes! Here are some homebrew suggestions to tweak events so they have lingering consequences that can lead to situations in which the players will have to get involved.

There’s No I In Team Bastions are awarded on a per-character basis, but the players can combine them into a single structure. In cases where the character's Bastions aren't connected, introducing story hooks that center around one player's Bastion may leave the other party members feeling left out or disinterested.Try to avoid spending too much time focusing on the drama surrounding a single player's Bastion, limiting such quests to a session or two. In such a quest, present it as an opportunity for the other players to possibly play as hirelings using the sidekick rules from Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything or even make brand new player characters that are recruited to assist the player whose Bastion is the focus.This can be a great opportunity for players to try out different classes and character options.Alternatively, you can save Bastion-centric adventuring for times when your full group isn’t available, and you’re unable to proceed with the main campaign. Running Bastion-based one-shots is a great way to keep playing within the world of the campaign without having any player feel left out of the main story. Adventures that center around a Bastion's hirelings work exceptionally well for this.

Attack Event

In this event, your player character's Bastion is attacked, but the Bastion Defenders manage to turn aside the invading force.

Hook | Tier | Description Breaking and Entering | Tier 2 | After a bandit attack, it is discovered that one of the party's magic items stored at the Bastion has been stolen. The adventurers must launch a counter-attack on the raiders if they want their property back. Mustering for War | Tier 3 | The attacking force is revealed to be mercenaries from beyond the realm's borders. Who paid them to attack the Bastion, and why? What plans are in motion, and how is the party involved? They Came From The Far Realm | Tier 4 | Strange and terrifying assailants assaulted the Bastion, writhing masses of tentacles and eyeballs. Similar reports from across the world began arriving by magical and mundane means, signaling that this attack was not a one-off and that a Far Realm incursion looms.

Criminal Hireling Event

In this event, it's revealed that one of your Bastion's hirelings has a criminal past, and officials or bounty hunters seek the hireling's arrest. Hook | Tier | Description Law and Disorder | Tier 2 | The bribe to secure the hireling's freedom is not paid, and they are arrested. The party now must investigate the alleged crime and engage in some courtroom drama to prove their hireling's innocence. Enemy of the Crown | Tier 3 | After the Criminal Hireling event occurs, the hireling in question pleads their innocence to the party, claiming that this has something to do with a conspiracy involving one of their ancestors. Pulling on this thread takes the party through the dark secrets of the realm, all the way to the crown itself. Signed in Blood | Tier 4 | A Marut appears from Sigil and leaves with the hireling. Now, the Marut has returned and seeks out the party; as the hirelings' employers, they are now responsible for the completion of the outstanding fiendish contract.

Request for Aid

In this event, the player character's Bastion is called upon to aid a nearby faction or community.

Hook | Tier | Description The Fish Rots from the Head | Tier 2 | Raiders vex farmers and villagers from the surrounding dales, and the nobles in charge of their lands are doing nothing. While your Bastion Defenders have dispatched the immediate problem, the question of why the nobles are complacent still lingers. When One Door Closes... | Tier 3 | The Bastion Defenders have managed to assist the nearby druid circle in driving back Undead through a once-sealed gateway to the Shadowfell, but that is just a temporary solution. Unless the gateway can be permanently closed, more attacks will come, and in greater numbers. Dragon Plague | Tier 4 | The characters' Bastion Defenders return from delivering medical supplies to a nearby town, as a sickness is spreading amongst the dragonborn and kobolds that reside there. But soon, it becomes evident that this clearly magical plague is affecting all dragonkin and even true dragons themselves, and if something isn’t done, it could wipe out all draconic life.

Sidequests for Sidekicks

While the players' characters are the stars of the show when it comes to your campaign, sometimes you’ll want to shift the focus elsewhere in order to build out your world. Hirelings are excellent for this, as you can turn them into playable characters for one-shots in order to build out the world and let your players explore side quests and different game options without derailing the main campaign. These homebrewed suggestions can serve as a springboard for hireling one-shots, whether you make hirelings into full-blown player characters or use the sidekick rules from Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything. Each of these hooks is tied to a specific special facility to give you a jumping-off point.

Hook | Tier | Description Arcane Study | Tier 1 | The creation of a magic item has backfired, and the item has come to life and escaped. The hirelings must track down the item and fix the chaos it has caused along the way. One of the hirelings should be a spellcaster. Demiplane | Tier 2-3 | The door that once led to the normal Demiplane now leads somewhere completely different. The hirelings must venture into this new and strange pocket dimension and find out what it is, where it’s from, and who put it there. Garden | Tier 1-2 | A tricky Fey has brought the plants in the garden to life, and they’ve taken over the Bastion. The hirelings must venture through the portal to the Feywild the Fey left open and convince them to undo their meddling. Gaming Hall | Tier 1 | A hireling's gambling has gotten out of hand, and now they’re in debt to some powerful people. Not wanting to bring trouble to the Bastion, they must round up some friends and venture out to a nearby crypt in the dead of night to recover some rumored gold to clear their debts. Pub | Tier 1-2 | The dwarven brewer who supplies the ale is unable to deliver on her order thanks to a Hill Giant causing trouble on the road. The hirelings need to find this giant and put a stop to his troublesome ways. Sanctuary | Tier 1-2 | Imps manage to infiltrate and desecrate the sanctuary, rendering it useless until it’s reconsecrated. The hirelings need to recover the components to perform the ritual. One hireling should be able to cast a spell from the Cleric, Druid, or Paladin spell lists. Stable | Tier 1 | The horses have bolted and must be chased down and returned. It soon becomes clear this wasn’t an accident, and the hirelings must recover the missing mounts and discover who was behind the theft. Teleportation Circle | Tier 3-4 | The Teleportation Circle has opened and will not close, connecting to another plane through which dangerous creatures are spilling. The hirelings must cross the planes to stop it and avoid getting stuck on the other side. Theatre | Tier 1-2 | Rehearsals for a play are underway, but accidents keep befalling the actors. The hirelings must figure out what curse afflicts the performance and put an end to it. The show must go on!

Home Is Where the Plot Is

Often, the very act of owning one can bring all sorts of exciting opportunities to the player's doorstep, both figuratively and literally. Here is a selection of homebrewed ideas to inspire adventures that center around the trouble that can befall a Bastion:

Lord Hoa and the Bastion Owners Alliance (Tier 2-3).  Lord Nimby Hoa, a bothersome gnomish noble whose rule includes the lands of the party’s Bastion, leads the Bastion Owners Alliance and has sent down a series of ridiculous edicts. All moats must have a minimum of 10 feet of fresh water and no more than four alligators. Portcullises must be oiled and polished bi-weekly (it's never clarified if this means twice a week or once every two weeks). Sieges must be scheduled in advance, and no catapults may be fired between sunset and sunrise. The list doesn’t end. If the adventurers don’t wish to be mired in never-ending work keeping their Bastion compliant, they must infiltrate the Bastion Owners Alliance and wrest control from Lord Hoa.

The Haunted Bastion (Tier 2).  An Undead creature roams the halls and corridors of the player's Bastion, terrorizing hirelings and guests alike; the party must find the spirit and help lay it to rest. However, if that is not possible, they must find some other way to end its reign of terror. What the party must do might depend on the type of Undead. Here are some suggestions:

• Ghost: The spirit of someone who was murdered within the walls of the Bastion roams the halls, forever trapped here until their bones are given a proper burial. The players must explore previously unknown ruins below the Bastion and solve the ghosts' cryptic clues in order to find their earthly remains. • Vampire: A blood drinker has infiltrated the Bastion as a guest or even a hireling, and preys on its victims as they sleep. Using deception and subterfuge to go undetected, the players need to figure out who the interloper is before it’s too late. • Revenant: A damned soul seeking vengeance has come knocking at the doors and will not be refused, and any who stand in its way will surely die. The players must find some way of stopping the unstoppable before more die as this spirit of revenge roams the Bastion.

Bastion Murder Mystery (Tier 2).  It is the grand opening of a new special facility within the Bastion, and the party is entertaining guests with a party when suddenly a noble is found murdered in a side room. A classic whodunit! If the players can’t figure out who committed the crime before the carriages arrive at sunrise to take the guests home, the killer will escape, and the party will lose no small amount of trust in the eyes of their neighbors. Was it one of the guests? Was it a hireling? Or maybe some other unknown third party has infiltrated the Bastion. The finger of suspicion even turns towards the party as paranoia rises.

Plot Hook, Line, and Sinker